Perrelet is mostly known to the public for its flashy Turbine Collection featuring the iconic “Double Rotor” design. Recently, the brand has introduced whole three special-edition versions: the blingy “007,” the patriotic “America,” and the playful (in all meanings of the word) Perrelet Turbine Poker (ref. A4018/1) reviewed here.
I am not particularly fond of that Captain America aesthetics and don’t approve of the tactics of making money by mimicking a well-established brand, so that is going to be the Turbine Poker version that I am going to tell you about.
It looks like the Swiss watchmakers have a keen interest in all things that have anything to do with casinos, gambling, and other aspects of dolce vita.
As you may remember, this year alone, several serious and emerging local brands have introduced their takes on the casino-related theme.
The first watch that comes to mind is, of course, the highly complicated (and outrageously expensive) Christophe Claret 21 Blackjack.
Others, not so complex (like the new Roger Dubuis Chronograph La Monegasque Big Number (Ref. MG44-680-59-00/0IR01/B) or the limited-edition Hublot Greengo Bang) that simply exploit the inevitable nostalgia associated with such places of expensive recreation.
The Turbine Poker sort of stays in the grey area between the two extremities. It is not terribly complicated, but it is also not simply limited to the green color of a poker table or the black and red sectors of a roulette wheel.
The new watch makes good use of Perrelet’s signature double-winding rotor design. The famous front oscillating weight, which is stylized as turbine blades, in this particular case works to partially hide the dial with different card values painted on it.
The dial, by the way, is available in three versions. The first one offers the only combination of a pair of sevens, the other gives you a couple of royal flushes with spades and hearts and, again, a pair of sevens. The third one offers you a couple of full houses.
Of course, you won’t be able to play a real card game with such a simple “complication,” but I can foresee that relatives of inveterate gamblers may have finally found an ultimate birthday gift for their beloved ludomaniacs.
As with the rest of the series, the watch sports the Perrelet caliber P-181, which is based on the good old ETA 2892-A2 ebauche with the double winding rotor complication.
The Turbine Poker sports a standard “gunmetal gray” stainless steel body. 44 mm in diameter and 12.5 millimeters thick, it is deliberately oversized, but that’s what we have to expect from a modern “novelty” timekeeper these days.
To make the dial more readable, Perrelet equipped the timepiece with a double-glare-proofed sapphire crystal with the Perrelet logo printed (or maybe laser-etched?) on its inner side.
There is still no official info on the timekeeper’s price, but the original watch was initially offered at a recommended price of $5000, so this one must be very close to it.
Photos: Perrelet
Perrelet Turbine Poker A4018/1 specification
Suggested Price: $6100 (MSRP)
Movement: Automatic, Perrelet caliber P-181, base ETA 2892-A2, 21 jewels, Swiss Made
- Frequency: 28,800 vph
- Decoration: Double Rotor design
- Functions: Hours, minutes, seconds
- Power reserve: 40 hours
Case: Stainless steel
Shape: Round
Diameter: 44.00 mm
Case height: 12.50 mm
Dial: White with cards printed on it
Numerals: Arabic
Hour markers: White
Hands: Luminous
Water resistance: 50 meters
Strap: Black rubber band with steel folding clasp
Crystal: Sapphire, antireflective on both sides
Back: Sapphire